Monolithic floor



Aug. 19 1924.

F. HENRY MONOLITHIC FLOOR Filed Jan. 11 192s Patented ug. 19, 1924.-

. STATES PATENT OFFICE. j

MONOLITHIG FLOOR.

Application filed January 11, 1923. Serial No. 611,965.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK HENRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Monolithic Floors, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to a method of making monolithic floors showing designs upon their surfaces, and to means for the production of such floors, or equivalent surfaces; and it is an important object of my invention to provide simple and effective means and a method whereby an imitation of tile or a like effect may be produced.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a floor of the character referred to which will wear uniformly the material constituting the tiles, and the material employed in forming the joints therebetween being ofsubstantially the same wearing qualities, although different in color.

It is a further object of my invention to rovide an easy method for securing-uniormity in the width of the joint lines between the respective tiles, throughout a given piece of work, and to expedite the production of a tile effect, my means and method being such as to require comparatively little skill.

It is a further object of my invention to provide easy means for bringing the top of a floor formed of plastic material to exactly the final level desired, the material which is to constitute the joints between the tiles being preferably preformed and applied as a grid to any suitable foundation, preferably a foundation of plastic material, such as concrete.

It is a further object of my invention to design adopted, it being then only necessary to assemble the grids in their desired rela tionship and to fill in the interstices thereof with plastic materials of the respective colors desired.

It is a further object of my invention to provide grids of the general character indicated, which shall be adapted to extend into and bond with a foundation material, and which shall also form a satisfactory and permanent bond with the plastic materials subsequently disposed in the mentioned interstices, so that a monolithic effect is produced, even though the surface of the floor exhibits a design, such as may ordinarily be produced by the use of tile or mosaic material.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a monolithic structure in which the tendency to fracture may be reduced to a minimum, but in which, in case of fracture, the lines along which cracks may occur shall be predetermined.

It is a further object of my invention to facilitate the reinforcing of floors having a design or tile effect.

It is a further object of my invention to provide joint grids or units formed of plastic material and so hardened, in advance, as

to permit of being transported and otherwise treated as articles of commerce, without serious liability to breakage or deterioration.

Other objects of my invention will appear from the following description and the appended claim,'it being understood that certain parts or features of my invention may be independently used, and that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as the same is indicated in the mentioned description and claim.

It is believed that my invention will be readily understood from the following description of one specific embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the ac companying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a grid, preformed in accordance with my invention, and partially embedded within the foundation of plastic material, in readiness for the introduction of suitably colored plastic materials into the interstices shown.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one entire grid, adapted to be assembled with like grids in the production of a floor, presenting the apestablish a true level at the top of said grids.

The interstices 4 may be then filled with a plastic-composition which may be terrazzo or may be of any uniform color desired, preferably a color contrasting, with the materiils employed in the production of the 1 I It will be understoodthat the procedure indicated may obviate the necessity for bringing the concrete foundation to an exact level, the grids being adapted to be embedded to varying depths in the concrete foundation, while the latter is sufliciently soft tobond therewith, an elevation in the concrete foundation being indicated at E and depressions being indicated at D and D. It willalso be understood that the grids ought to be formed sufficiently in advance of the time they are to be used to enable the cementitious or other material of which they may be formed to acquire hardness and strength. I prefer to form the grids in the representation of a. considerable number of units, and I find it advantageous to complete all of the units at the margins, of the respective grids. Thiscontributesto their strength and minimizes the liability to breakage, although it may also necessitate a cutting or sawing ofthe outside elements when a plurality of grids are assembled in the formation of a floor,

Any suitable mode of reinforcement may I be employed. It would obviously be possible, for example, to employ straight wires in the formation of a grid having rectangular openings. For the formation of a grid such as is shown in Fig. 2, various expediings may be made by the assembling of hexforcement of the character last referred to agonal units of sheet material, and these may be secured together in any suitable way, as by spot welding in proximity to the points of juncture. As shown in Fig. 4, a reincomparatively wide, or comparatively narrow; and to this end, I find it advantageous to give a slight taper to the vertical sections of the grid elements. The grid elements may then be employed with the wide side up when a wide joint line is desired, or

inverted when a narrow joint line is desired, the respective effects here referred to being illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. It will be obvious that the mentioned taper in the grid elements will also facilitate the sepa- 8t) ration of the grids from the forms in which they may be cast, any suitable mode and means of casting being employed; and it will be obvious that afterthe grids are suitably.

assembled and leveled upon a foundation prepared therefor, it is only necessary to fill the respective interstices with the desired composition or compositions and strike off the excess material to the level of the top of the grids, smoothing the surface down and permitting the whole to. become consolidated into a unitary or monolithic structure.

. Any suitable plastic composition maybe employed, but, as indicated above, it is desirable that the composition used for the grids should so closely resemble that used in the interstices thereof that, irrespective of the design effect produced, the wearing qualities of the floor should be uniform.

What is claimed is: i A monolithic product comprising a gri preformed of plastic material, and a plastic filling within the interstices of said grid,

said grid being provided with reinforcing 1 elements embedded therein.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

" FRANK HENRY. 

